Fruit-picker.



PATENTED AUG. 27. 1907.

El. GIER. FRUIT PIGKER. APPLIOATION I'll JED JAN. 3, 1907.

B SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES A TTORNE Y8 m: mmms PEIERS co., WAsmNs'mn, n c,

No. 864,639. PATENTED AUG. 2'7, 190?.

E GIEIL FRUIT PIGKER.-. 'APPLIQATIQN FILED mm a, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS- No. 864,639- PATENTED AUG. 27, 1907.

E GIER FRUIT PIGKER.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 3, 1907.

3 BHEETS-BHEIIT 3.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS OFFICE.

EMIL GIER, OF RHINELAND, TEXAS.

FRUIT-PICKEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 27, 1907.

Application filed January 8,1907. Serial No- 850,699.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL GIER, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Rhineland, in the county of Knox and State of Texas, haveinvented a new and Improved Fruit-Picker, of which the following isafull, clear, and exact description.

This invention. has for its object to provide means adapted to enable aperson standing on the ground to readily remove fruit from a treewithout injuring the fruit.

Other objects relating to the specific construction and specialarrangement of the parts will be understood from the followingdescription and accompanying drawings, in which drawings like charactersof reference indicate like parts throughout the views, and in whichFigure l. is a view illustrative of the application of my device; Fig. 2is a side elevation partly in section and partly broken away, of adevice embodying my invention; Fig. 3 is a plan of a receptacle used incarrying out my invention; Fig. 4 is a horizontal transverse section,taken on the line 4- l of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a horizontal section, takenon the line 55 of Fig. 8 Fig. I; is a fragmentary view in verticalsection of a conductor lining and collar and a conductor rod shown inside elevation; Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the receptacle shown inFig. 3; Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a section of a conducting tube andan operating lever attached thereto; Fig 9 is a perspective view of anear attached to a receiver wire; Fig. 10 is a front elevation of africtional bearing and connecting mechanism; and Fig. 11 is a sideelevation of the bearing shown in Fig. 10.

As illustrated in the drawings, my device consists of a receptaclemounted upon a conducting tube comprising longitudinal rods 1, which areprovided with off-set loops 2 and adapted thereby to engage aperturesformed in conductor collars 3, and project through said collars so as toreceive fastening wires 4 by means of which the conductor rods aresecurely fastened to said collars so as to form a conducting tube lightand strong in structure. A lining 5 of any suitable textile fabric isnserted within the conductor and may be secured to the collars 3 andconductor rods 1 in any suitable manner.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the lowerends of the conductor rods 1 are doubled over on themselves and providedwith hooks 6 which.

support eyes 7 attached to a discharge elbow 8 and adapted to permitsaid elbow to be detached from the end of the conductor when desired.The discharge elbow is of yielding material of any suitable character,preferably of a loose woven texture, and is provided with a false back 9which is separated from the back of the elbow, and cushioned by means ofan intermediate layer l0 of cotton, or other material having similarcapabilities. The purpose of providing the discharge elbow 8 with acushioned false back is to protect the fruit from injury as it fallsdown the conductor and strikes the interior surface of the dischargeelbow. A receptacle attached to the upper end of the conductor isprovided with picking arms comprising rods 11 preferably formed integralwith the tube rods 1, as shown in Fig. 7, wherein said rods are shown asdiverging laterally after extending beyond the top collar 3 andconverging at their upper ends into cross bars 12. The picking arms arealso curved longitudinally at 1, thereby forming oppositely disposedbroad reentrant upper ends. The picking arms are preferably providedwith auxiliary rods 13 having hooked ends 14 which engage the loops 2 ofthe conductor rods 1 and form a pivotal connection with the upper collar3. The rods 13 after extending upward preferably in parallel lines,diverge and come together in a transverse central rod 1.5, therebyforming a yoke adapted to reduce the aperture formed by the divergingupper ends of the rods 11 so as to prevent the fruit from passingthrough the picker arms.

Perforated cars 16 are attached to the side rods of the picking arms,and are connected with links 17, which links are pivotally connected attheir inner ends to operating rods 18, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Therods 18 are attached at their lower ends to a lever 19 having an off-setend 20 which is pivotally attached by means of a bolt 21 to one of theconductor collars, as shown in Fig. 8, by means of which the lever ispivotally mounted upon a bracket 22 having curved end portions 23corresponding with the outer contour of the collar 3, and secured tosaid collar by means of the projecting loops 2 of the conductor wires 1,which project through said collar, and the curved ends of said bracketand are secured in place by means of split keys 24, or by any othersuitable means. A yoke 25 is preferably formed integral with one of theends of the bracket 22 at a right angle to the end of the bracket, bydoubling the plate forming the yoke over onto itself and securing theupper end of said plate to the end of the bracket arms 23 by means ofthe split key 24, as shown in Fig. 8. The lower por' tion of the yoke 25is also secured to'the collar upon which it is mounted by means of asimilar split key 24 which engages a projecting loop 2 formed on theconductor rods, as hereinbeiore described.

By means of such construction of the yoke, a guide way is formed adaptedto hold the shank of the lever 19 in place. The lower end of the yokemay, if desired, be provided with a block 26 against which the loweredge of the lever 19 strikes when operated, thereby sustaining the forceof the movement of the lever. The lever 19 when operated is adapted tomove inward toward each other the picking arms hereinbcfore described,which are made sufficiently resilient to be moved inward by theoperation of the lever and to spring outward when the lever is released.Oppositely disposed guards are formed on the receptacle of the pickerbetween the picking arms, and consist of vertical yokes comprisingparallel arms 27 preferably having flattened ends secured to the upperconductor collar in any suitable manner, and forming a broad upper end28, as shown in Fig. 2. Auxiliary guards may also be used in connec tiontherewith, consisting of scroll rods 29 secured at their lower ends tothe upper conductor collar 3, and at their upper ends to the rods 27, orto yokes 30 at tached to the rods 27, which yokes are provided withfriction pulleys 31 over which pass the links 17 which connect thepicking arms with the operating rods 18. The operating rods 18 as theyextend over the conductor collar are preferably held in place on saidcollar by means of loops or guide rods 32 attached to the conductorcollars in any suitable manner.

The device may be used by placing the receptacle 011 the upper end ofthe conductor tube around the fruit to be picked, and the upper end ofthe picker moved slightly laterally so as to bring the fruit under theupper ends of the picking arms or guards, with the stem ol the fruitbetween the picking arms and guards. When in such position the fruit isreadily detached from the tree by a downward or lateral movement of thepicker when the device is so used the picking arms are not operated bythe lever 19. In most instances, however, the fruit is detached from thetree by drawing the picking arms inward into the position indicated bydotted lines in Fig. 2, by means of the operating lever 19, and when insuch position the picker is moved laterally or downwardly in the mannerdescribed.

The device herein shown and described embodies many elements which, ifdesired, may be used independently of the other elements, and all of theelements may be modified without departing from my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. A t'ruit; picker comprising a receptacle for receiving the fruit tobe picked. guards disposed upon opposite sides at said receptacle andprovided with portions projecting inwardly toward each other for thepurpose of overhangiug said l'ruit, jaws disposed upon opposite sides ofsaid receptacle intermediate said guards, and provided with in wardlyextending portions separated at. their upper ends i'rom said guards, alever. and me: is connected therewith adapted to control said jaws atwill, substantially as shown and described.

2. A fruit. picker comprising a conducting tube. a recep' tacle forreceiving the fruit to be picked, guards disposed upon opposite sidesolf said receptacle and provided with portions projecting inwardlytoward each other for the purpose ot' overhanging said l'ruit, jaws oiresilient material secured to said tube and arranged alternately withsaid guards. and provided with portions projecting in wardly toward eachother. a lever mounted on said tube, and means connected therewithadapted to draw said jaws inward against the spring tension thereotandenable said jaws to return to their normal position when pressure isreleased from said level.

5;. A fruit picker comprising a conducting tube, a recep taclc forreceiving the truit to be picked. uards disposed upon opposite sides ofsaid receptacle and provided with portions projecting inwardly for thepurpose of overhang ing said t'ruit, jaws ol resilient: materialarranged alternately with said guards and provided with inwardlyextending portions, links connected with said jaws and sup ported onsaid guards, a lever mounted on said tube, and

a connection between said lever and links. substantially as shown anddescribed.

4. A l'ruit. picker comprising a conducting tube, a receptacle forreceiving the fruit to be picked, guards disposed upon opposite sides oisaid receptacle and provided with inwardly projecting portions foroverhanging said fruit, jaws of resilient material arranged between saidguards provided with inwardly projecting portions separated from saidguards at their upper end. and means controlled at will connected withsaid jaws i'or pressing them inward toward each other, substantially asshown and described.

5. A fruit picker having a conducting tube. a receptacle provided withpicking arms having broad inwardly pro jecting ends. opposi ely disuosedguards arranged alter nately with said picking arms, spaced therefromand pro vided with inwardly projecting ends. a collar secured to theconducting tube, a bracket secured to said collar. a yoke connected withsaid bracket, and an operating lever pivoted to said bracket. engagingsaid yoke, and connected with said picking arms, substantially as shownand de scribed.

U. A [ruit picker comprising a conducting tube. opposi :ly disposedpicking arms having broad inwardly projecting portions. auxiliary yokesextending centrally olI said picking arms and 'connected with the upperportion thereof, oppositely disposed guards arranged alternately withsaid picking arms. spaced theret'rom and provided with inwardlyprojecting portions disconnected at their ends from said picking arms,and means for drawing the upper ends of the picking arms toward eachother. substantially as shown and described.

7. A t'ruit picker comprising oppositely disposed p king arms havingbroad inwardly projecting upper portions. guards arranged alternatelywith said picking arms. and provided with inwardly projecting portionsdismnnected from said picking arms at their outer ends, and means fordrawing the upper ends of said picking arms toward each other,substantially as shown and described.

8. A truit: picker comprising a conducting tube. oppositely disposedguards having inwardly projecting upper portions, oppositely disposedpicking arms having inwardly extending portions disconnected at: theirouter ends from said guards. links pivotally connecting said pickingarms, and an operating lever connected with said links, substantially asshown and described.

S). The combination with a conducting tube. oi a receptacle havingoppositely disposed picking arms, oppositely disposed guards arrangedalternately with said picking arms and provided with link bearings,links connected with said picking arms and bearings, and operatingmechanism connected with said links. substi.-mtiall v as shown and described.

10. The combination with a receptacle having oppositely disposed pickingarms and oppositely disposed guards arranged alternately with saidpicking arms. 01' a conduct:- ing tube comprising longitudinal rodsformed integral with said picking arms and provided with oli set loops.collars provided with apertures adapted to engage the loops of saidrods, and means adapted to bind said loops, collars and rods securelytogether, substantially as shown and described.

11. A l'ruit; picker having a conducting tube comprising longitudinalrods having overturned lower ends. collars secured to said rods, and aflexible discharge spout pro vided with eyes adapted to eng: 3 theoverturned ends 01' said rods. substantially as shown and described.

12. A t'ruit picker having a receptacle comprising oppositely disposedpicker arms and oppositely disposed guards spaced from said picking armsand provided with inwardly projecting upper ends, a conducting tubehaving longitudinal rods, collars secured thereto, a bracket secured toone of said collars, a yoke having one of its ends detachably secured toone olf said collars. and a lever mounted on said bracket engaging saidyoke and connected with said picking arms, substantially as shown anddescribed.

In testimony whcreot' l have signed my name to this specification in thepresence ot' two subscribing witnesses.

EMIL (illilt.

Witnesses Minn Bimckxnn, ln'rnr. BLAKE.

